Electric foil



July 2. 1940- c. M. HABTER 2,206,697

ELECTRIC FOIL 4Filed June 23, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. jlfff-Pfe-P 4ATTORNEYS July'z. 1940. c. M. HARTER 2,206,691 v ELECTRIC FOIL Filed June 23, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 2, 1940 UNNTED` STATES ELECTRIC` FOIL..

Clair M.Harter, Waukegan; Ill., assigner izo-Bela IE. de Tuscan, DetroihMic appresaonA June ,23, 193s, serial Norzlssu 6 Claims.

Theinvention relates tof the art` of@ fencing and has more particular reference tom an improved j type of'ioilfor `use in the conventional inzyfencing contests to have `oneor more judges p who call thetouch or score and `owing to` the extreme quickness and speed of the foil in the handsyof an expert fencer, it is frequently dimcultfor the judges to determine whether a touch has been made or not and accordingly,the judges very often disagree. conditions exist eiiceptthat :the rules and regulations of the two games are quite dilierent.

` Inxther conventional game'of `fencing, only a certain' portion of the opponents body, namely, from the waist line to theshoulders, is-considered the target.; Anytouch that may be made on. `the opponent; except `on the `vulnerable target portion ofhis body, does not score. Frequently itisdifhcmt forthe judgesto determine whether the foil actually touched the target or perhaps some other part of the body. Therefore, in one embodiment of my invention I provide ai metallized jacket to lbe worn by `each of the contestants andlwhich covers only the target portion of 1 the body.' Inithis embodiment of the invention. the improved foilis provided with electrically energized means having contacts at the tip-ofrthe foil so that whenv said tip touches the metalliZedtarget-an electric circuit will be closed, actuating means ini` the bell of the foil which visiblyregisters the touch. The indicating means; which consists of Va small electricbulb, remains lighted until it is switched on"l by the contestant and inorderthat the judges and also the spectators may clearly see the lighted bulb,`

the bell of the foil may be made of a transparent material, or if a metal bell is used,1the same may beperforated so" that the light within may be eashr seen. j

As `an alternative arrangement, the electric means and bulb may be located in, the helmet of theicontestants and connected tothe electric circuit inthe foil Ybyrneans Vot small flexible electric'conductors, but it is considered-merecenvenientforgeneral practice when located adja-` cent to the bellof the foil.

In pe the metallized jacket is. not used. as any part of the opponents body is considered as target. In-this `embodiment of the invention In` pe the same general the tip ofA thefoil is provided with a pressure operated contact switchr so arranged that' any pressure on the end oi the tip will close the electriccircuit and visibly register the touch by lighting the electricbulb in the bell of the foil.

It is therefore another object of the inventionnto provide a foil for use in theconvene tional game of fencing or for use in pe which will incorporate self-contained means for visibly or audibly` indicating a touch on the vulnerableA target of the opponentin contest.

Another object of the invention resides in j the provision of means in the bell of a foil for visibly registering a touch and which-will continue to be visible until manually turned 01T by the contestant handling thefoil.

Anotherobject is to provide an improved type of foil having electricmeans `in the bell thereof' for visiblyrindicating a touch and whichmeans will belenergized by batteries valso located within the bell of the foil.

With these and various other objects in ',view,` the inventionA may `consist of certain-novel fea tures of construction and operation, as will be more fully described and particularly pointed-out in the j specification, drawings and claims appended hereto.

In: the drawings which illustrate an` embodiment of theinvention `and wherein like referencecharacters are `used to designate like parts- Figure 1 isa-n elevational view of a foil embodying' theimproved features of the invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the handle por tion of thefoil showing the location of the electric indicatingmeans in the bell thereof;

Figure-3`is a fragmentary sectional View of the handle and bell showing the contact for the insulated conductor;

Figure 4 is a plan View of the principal parts of sthe'visble indicatingmechanism and the elec tric circuit' connecting the parts;

Figure `5is arsectional view taken substantially alongV line 5-5 of Figure 4 and showing the4 sectional relay with balanced armature;

Figure` 6 `is` a sectional View taken substantially on line 6-6 oi Figure 4- and showngthe circuit` i l tip portion 22.

ned form of tip having pressure actuated contact means.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figures I l and 2, the numeral II indicates the blade of the foil which is provided with a handle comprising the removable portions I2 and I3, the latter portion being threaded to the end I4 of the blade to thereby retain the portion I2 in contact with the guard I5 of the foil. A second guard or bell iii is associated with guard I5, being releasably secured to the blade by the set screw I'I. The bell provides a cover for the electric mechanism including the relay and batteries and may be easily removed in case it is necessary to repair the electric mechanism or .replace worn out batteries with new ones. The bell may be transparent or may be formed of metal and perforated in order to render the electric bulb visible andv which when lighted forms the visible indicating means.

The blade lI of the foil on one side thereof is provided with a groove extending from the guard to the tip end and within which is located an insulated wire I8, Figure 7. The said wire at the tip. end is electrically connected to a center contact 23 insulated by part 2| fromthe metal Said portion 22 has inwardly directed bent ends 23 which are spaced from the center contact 2U. The other end of the metal `v tip portion is suitably secured to the blade and therefore has electrical connection with the blade although insulated, of course, from wire I8. Said wire I8 at its opposite end electrically connects with contact screw 24, which is mounted in but insulated from the blade II by the part 25. The at spring 2t contacts the screw 24 and' is suitably secured at its other end by the rivet 21 to the part Z8. Said part 28 is secured to the guard I5 of the foil by screws 29, as shown in Figure 5,

and provides a support for the relay and the other tion including an iron core 38 around which is.

wound many turns ofne wire '39. The inner endsof the iron core 38 are connected by magnetic yoke 40. A support 4I, positioned between sections 36 and 3l of the relay, journals shaft 42,`

to which is xedly secured a balanced armature 43. Said armature is therefore mounted to rotate with respect to the pole pieces 38 of the relay.

On one end of shaft 42-is fixed a cam 44 made of fiber or other insulating material and which cam. is provided with a notch for receiving the bent portion of the flat spring 46. At one end said flat spring is secured to but insulated from support 4l. At its other end the flat spring is provided with contact 48 positioned for engagement with contact 5t secured to support 5I. The said support is insulated from. part 23 which supports plunger 52 positioned to engage cam 44 for the purpose of rotating the cam clockwise.

',When so rotated the cam is brought into relation with and held bythe bent portion 45 of the nat spring 4E. A coil spring 53 surrounds the upper end of the plunger and yieldingly maintains the same in raised position, thus requiring the ,5coperator to press on the handle 54 to depress the plunger. When the cam 44 is held by the bent portion 45 of the spring 4B the contacts 48 and are separated.

Referring to Figure 4, it will be observed that the batteries 3I and 32 are each supported from the part 28 by positive and negative terminal posts and 55, respectively. When the contacts 48 and 5i! are separated the armature 43 is diagonally positioned, as shown in Figure 5. Assuming that the foil is in use and a touch is made upon the metallized jacket El' of an opponent, Figure 8, the electric circuit to the relay 35 will be closed through contacts 20 and 22. Contact 22 is of course grounded to the blade II and the center contact 20 includes the insulated conductor i3, the screw 24 and the fiat spring Z6. The conductor 53 electrically connects said at spring to one end of wire 39 of the relay. The other end of wire 39 is connected at 59 to conductor 6I! leading from. the Contact 5l) and which connects with the positive terminal55 of battery 32.

In Figurel the blade I I is shown as connected with the screw shell of the electric bulbs 33 and 34 by conductors 6I and 552. Actually these conductors comprise the ground connection from the blade II to part 23 and through the sockets into which the bulbs 33 and 34 are screwed. The center contacts of said bulbs arev connected by conductor G3. Conductor 32 has connection with the negative terminal 56 of battery 3l and the positive terminal of said battery is connected by conductor 34 with the negative terminal of battery 32, thus completing the electric circuit to the relay. From the foregoing it will be understood that .when a touch is made and the contacts 20 and 22 are closed the relay will be energized to cause rotation of the armature 43,

which rotation will take place in a counter-clockwise direction, Figure 6, and against the tension exerted by spring 46 on cam 44. has been rotated to remove the bent portion 45 from. the notch in said cam. the contacts 48 and 53 will engage and the circuit to the electric bulbs 33 and 34 will be closed, thereby visibly indicating a touch has been made. be explained.

The positive terminal 55 of battery 32 connects with contact 5t, and contact' 43 through conductor t5 joins withv conductor t3 which connects the center terminals of the electric bulbs. current travels through the filament of the bulbs and from the threaded shell thereof to conductor G2, which, as previously described, diagrammatically represents the ground connection and which joins with the negative terminal 56 of the ro The positive terminal of said battery rotate cam 44 counter-clockwise, which is accomplished by depressing plunger 52, which rotates the cam in the proper direction and again brings the same into engagement with the spring.

llt. The circuit to the bulbs is thus automatically broken at contacts 48 and 50, and of course the circuit to the relay is immediately opened after ia touch has been made, sincethe contestant naturally withdraws the foil from the metallized jacket of his opponent so as to counter any of-' fensive thrusts made by the opponent. The operations above described, which first cause ener- When said cam 1 This circuit will now The;r1

` 2,206,697 gization of the relay and then closing of the elecl tric circuit through the battery to energize the length of the biade and terminating in a stationconductor since in this form ponents body is considered `as target. Any touch electric bulbs, are repeated with a foil of Figure 9 `having the pressure actuated means in the tip thereof. Inthis form of tip the grounded contact t encloses a center contact 61 normally insulated therefrom and which is connected to the insulated blade li.

sition by the coil spring 7B. A foil having the` modied tip described is generally used in pe of fencing anypart ofthe opthat may be made by the contestant on the body of his opponent willforce member t3 inwardly, closing the `circuit and energizing the relay within the guard of the foil, as fully described in connection with the use of the metallized jacket.

It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to or by details of construction of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawings, as various other forms of the device will of course be apparent to those'skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims. What is claimed is:

1. In a foil for use in conventional fencing, in combinatioma blade having a handle portion, a

bell interposed between said blade` and handle portieri, an insulated `conductor extending theA length of the blade and terminating in a stationary contact insulated from the blade at the tip thereof, a source of electric current housed within said bell, a relay located Within said bell `and connected in circuit with said source of current, blade and insulatedconductor, whereby closing of the circuit at the tip of the blade will energize said relay, electric indicating means within said bell andalso connected in circuit with said source of current, a switch in said circuit tothe indicating means, a rotatable armature asso-` ciated with said relay and having rotation` upon energization thereof to actuate said switch for closing the circuit to the indicating means, and manually actuated means for returning said armature to initial position whereby the circuit to the indicating means is broken.

2. ln a foil for use in conventional fencing, in combination, a blade having a handle portion, a bell interposed between said blade and handle portion, an insulated conductor extending the ary contact insulated from the blade at the tip thereof, a source of electric current housed withinr said bell, a relay located within said bell and connected in circuit with said source of current, blade and insulated conducto-r, whereby closing the circuit at the tip of the `blade will `energize said relay, electric means including an electric bulb located within said bell and `also connected in circuit with said source of current, a switch in said circuit to the electric means, a rotatable armature associated with said relay and having rotation upon energization thereof, a cam rotated by said armature and having operation to actuate the switch to` close the circuit to the electric means when the relay is energized, whereby said l electric bulb is lighted indicating that a touch has been made on an opponent, and manually acwherein each participant itv extending longitudinally of the The contacts are closed by pressure when a touch is made, which depresses member i wherein each participant` tuated means including a plunger adapted to engagefsaid camwhen depressed for returning the armature to initial position whereby the circuit to the electric means is broken.

3. `In a foil for use in conventional fencing, wears a metallized jacket covering the vulnerable Yportion of his body, a blade having a handle portion and a bell, a relay located within said bell, a source of current for energizing said relay, xedand insulated contacts at the tip of said blade also electrically connecting `with said relay maintain' the circuit to. the cuit being closed when said contacts are brought into engagement with the metallized jacket of an l opponent, electricalV indicating means Within said `bell connecting with said source of current, a

i actuate said switch for closing `the circuit to the indicating means, and manually actuated means for returning said armature torinitial position whereby the circuit to the indicating means is broken. l l f 4. In a foil for use in conventional fencing Wears a metallized jacket cover-ingy the vulnerable portion of his body, in` combination, a` blade having a handle portion and a guard, an electrically energized relay, insulated contacts at the tip of said blade and ,which normallyc relay open, said cir-` electrically `connecting with saidrelay and which v normally maintain the circuit to `the relay open, said circuit being closed when said contacts are brought into engagement with the metallized jacket of an opponent, electrical indicating means, and means having actuation upon energization of said relay to close an electric circuit to said indicating` means whereby said means will indicate each touch made on the vulnerable portion of the body of the opponent.

5. In a foil for use in conventional fencing,

. wherein each participant wears `a metallized l jacket covering `the vulnerable portion of his body, in combination, a blade having a handle portion, an electric circuit including an insulated conductor extending the length of 'the blade, said insulated conductor terminating in an insulated contact point atthe tip thereof `and connecting with a source of electric current located between the blade and the handle portion, a relay interposedv in said electric circuit and having actuation when `the circuit is closed at the tip of the blade byfcontact with thatportion of the op- `ponents body covered by the metallized jacket, electric `means indicating each actuation of the relayyand manually actuated means for returning the relay to its original the circuit to said electric means, i

6. In a foil for use inconventional fencing, in combination, a blade having a handle portion, a

guard interposed between said blade .andk handle portion, insulated contacts at the tip of said blade, and indicating means electrically connectingwith said contacts whereby the circuit to the indicating means is lnormally open, sadv contacts being constructed and arranged toclose said circuit through an external electrical conductor such as a metallized jacket worn by an opponent.

CLAIR M. HARTER.

position thus openingv 

